


The Double Date

by Cherry (crazylove)



Series: So Long [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: #JohnJaeWeek2021, #JohnJaeWeek2021 Day 1, Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkwardness, Coffee, First Dates, M/M, Mentions of STDs, Tinder, Wine, but I swear its soft, mentions of parental death, mentions of past relationships - Freeform, too many dates in a day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29281530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazylove/pseuds/Cherry
Summary: Johnny had five dates planned for Saturday. On his first date, he met Jung Jaehyun.Jaehyun wasn’t planning to date in America. Then he met Johnny Suh.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: So Long [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156499
Comments: 22
Kudos: 113
Collections: JohnJae Fan Week 2021





	The Double Date

**Author's Note:**

> CW/TW:  
> \- brief mention of past relationship/cheating  
> \- brief mention of having an STD  
> \- brief mention of a parent dying

Johnny set the pizza down, but held the beers above his head until Taeyong and Yuta were both staring up at him like, what the hell?

“I’m going to find a boyfriend this weekend,” Johnny declared.

Taeyong and Yuta blinked at him and then exchanged a look.

“What?” Taeyong said.

“Johnny, give me the beer. You need to sit down.” Yuta waved the beer over. Johnny put the 12 pack down on the table, carefully. Then he sat down in the free chair while Taeyong flipped the pizza box open and Yuta passed out the beer.

“We’re going to need a _drink_ for this conversation,” Yuta said.

They'd started the tradition at the start of senior year. Every Friday night, one of the roommates got the pizza and the beer and they spent all night talking and catching up. They hadn’t missed a Friday yet. Johnny didn’t plan for that to change.

But he did plan to get a boyfriend.

“Okay,” Yuta said, after they had devoured a few slices of the cheap pizza that was only tolerable while drinking. “Spill.”

“Yeah,” Taeyong said, peering at Johnny. “Why do you want a boyfriend this weekend?”

Johnny took a deep breath. He’d been preparing his answer all day. Johnny, Taeyong and Yuta had been best friends and roommates for four years, ever since they were randomly assigned to the same triple dorm room freshman year. Johnny knew what to expect.

“Because it’s time,” Johnny said, matter-of-factly. “I’m ready to get back out there. I’m sick of being alone.”

“Johnny, you’re not alone,” Taeyong said, immediately, just like Johnny knew he would. “You have us.”

“Yeah,” Yuta said. “You’re stuck with us! What are we doing right now? We’re making sure no one in this apartment has a life on Friday night. We’re very devoted.”

Johnny couldn’t help smiling. He drained the rest of his beer and set the can down with an empty clack before he grabbed another slice of pizza.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Johnny said. “But you know it’s not the same. Taeyong, you don’t even remember what it’s like to be single because you’ve been dating Doyoung for over a year. And Yuta, you have all your one-night stands.”

Yuta snorted. “You have one-night stands, too.”

Johnny cleared his throat and opened his second beer. He was going to need a lot more alcohol for this.

“I remember what it’s like to be single,” Taeyong said, softly. “I know it sucks to feel alone. But you’re not.”

Johnny made a face, licking over his lips after he took a swallow of beer. He gave Yuta a pointed look.

“Contrary to popular belief,” he said, slowly. “I haven’t been having one-night stands either.”

“What are you talking about?” Yuta said, folding his slice of floppy pizza in half before shoving it in his mouth.

Johnny took a deep breath. “I haven’t had sex since… you know.”

He watched Yuta nearly choke.

“Chew!” Taeyong commanded, rubbing Yuta’s back.

They waited for Yuta to finally swallow, his eyes watering a bit.

“Are you _serious_?” Yuta spat out, wiping his eyes. Then he coughed. “Damn.”

Johnny nodded. “Yep.”

“I had no idea.”

“I thought you only had to wait a week after you finished the antibiotics…?” Taeyong asked, carefully.

“Yeah,” Johnny said. “But then… I just didn’t feel like sleeping with randos.”

“He wasn’t a rando,” Yuta said. “He was your boyfriend. And I’m still going to kill that motherfucker if I ever saw him around.”

Johnny sucked in a deep breath and let it out, slowly. “Yeah, well… what’s done is done. But I haven’t been sleeping with anyone.”

“What about the party?” Yuta asked. “At the beginning of the year? I totally saw you go off with someone.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “That didn’t work out. He was too drunk and… he couldn’t get it up. I was too drunk too. I’m glad it didn’t happen.”

Yuta huffed out a sigh. “That was a really stupid party,” he mumbled, wiping his hands on a napkin. “But what are you talking about, get a boyfriend? You just need to get back on the horse!”

“He doesn’t want to sleep with strangers,” Taeyong said, reasonably.

“Fuck that. Johnny, use a condom. That was the problem with that prick, right?” 

Johnny snorted at the double entendre there.

“I’d be nervous, too,” Taeyong said. “What if it was something more serious like Herpes or HIV—”

“He gets it, Yong,” Yuta cut in.

Johnny shook his head. “I mean, yeah, I get it. And yeah, I’ll use condoms but… that’s not the only reason I don’t want to sleep around. I want a boyfriend.”

“Tell us what’s important about the boyfriend part,” Taeyong said, playing with the tab on his beer can.

Johnny rubbed a hand over his face with a sigh, gearing himself up to get a little vulnerable. “Because… I’ve been thinking about it.” Johnny looked between his two friends. “It’s our senior year. The end of the semester is coming up. Then it’s Christmas and winter break and New Years. Then it’s my birthday and Valentine’s Day. I’m sick of spending all these holidays alone. You know I’ve never had a boyfriend for a birthday. All these important days… I’ve been wanting to have someone special to spend them with. If I get started now, I can make it happen.”

Johnny chugged his beer when he finished speaking. He watched his roommates share a look.

“You think I’m dumb,” Johnny said

“Kind of!” Yuta said.

“No!” Taeyong countered. “We just don’t want you to get hurt.” He leaned over to pat Johnny’s back. “You always have us to spend special days with. If you get a boyfriend, it shouldn’t be just because you want one now. He should be the right person.”

“Basically, what Taeyong said. He said it nicer than me,” Yuta said. “Seriously though, Johnny. What happened last time when your rushed into it? We were just talking about it.”

Johnny crossed his arms, giving Yuta a look. “You don’t have to remind me.”

“No. I think I do. Because I see you going down the exact same path right now.”

“It was a year ago. I’ve decided to let it go. I can’t let that hold me from looking for someone, Yuta.”

“He’s right,” Taeyong murmured.

“I don’t want it to hold you back from looking for someone,” Yuta said. “I want it to hold you back from thinking that the first guy you meet and like has to be your boyfriend. You don’t _know_ them. It takes time. You need to figure out if you can trust them. You can’t find a boyfriend in a weekend.”

“I don’t mean literally,” Johnny clarified. “I just mean I want to meet a bunch of people and choose someone who I want to pursue a relationship with.”

Yuta shook his head. “No, I know you, Johnny. You have all these romantic plans in your head about finals week and Christmas and your birthday or whatever. You’re gonna find someone to fit into them this weekend. And that person will be charming for the first 6 weeks or so and then he’ll cheat on you and give you a venereal disease!”

“Yuta!” Taeyong said.

Johnny pushed his chair back. “I’m leaving.”

“I’m saying this for your sake, John,” Yuta continued. “You move too fast. I hate what happened to you. You know he would be dead if he gave you something that wasn’t curable. But I feel like you didn’t learn your lesson.”

“Not everyone wants to just jump from guy to guy with no attachments,” Johnny said, hotly. “I can’t let what happened to me once define my whole story.”

“I _get_ that,” Yuta said. “I’m saying to you… take a deep breath… start dating again but not with the goal to find a boyfriend this weekend so you’re not alone on your birthday! Just get to know people and figure out who you can trust.”

“He’s got a point, Johnny…” Taeyong mumbled.

Johnny crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Look,” he said, glancing down at both Yuta and Taeyong. “I know what I want, okay? It won’t be like last time. I’m fucking lonely and I’m sick of it. I wanna be in a serious relationship next year and I think you guys should support me instead berating me for it!”

Johnny listened to everyone’s breathing for a moment. No one said anything.

“Okay,” Yuta said, softly. “Okay. I’m sorry you’re lonely, Johnny. You know we love you. We only want the best for you. I’m trying to look out for you. I don’t wanna fight. If you’re determined to find a boyfriend this weekend, I support you.”

Taeyong nodded from across the table. “Sit back down, Johnny. Tell us your plan.”

Johnny sat back down slowly. He opened another beer and took a long drink. “I have five dates tomorrow.”

“Wow,” Taeyong said, his big eyes going even wider. “Where did you get five dates from?”

“Tinder.” Johnny took a deep breath. “I have to give it a try. They’re back-to-back all day.”

“That sounds exhausting and terrible,” Yuta said, tearing the crust off his pizza. “Good luck.”

“Yeah, good luck,” Taeyong said. “But remember what we said. No matter what, we’ll still have our Pizza and Beer Friday Nights, right? Just the three of us. We only have one more year left.”

“What are you talking about?” Johnny said, leaning forward in his chair. “One year left on earth? We’ve got plenty of time. Pizza and Beer Friday Nights are non-negotiable. We will always have those. That’s the first thing I’ll tell my new boyfriend.”

“He’s talking about after graduation, Johnny,” Yuta said. “I might have to go back to Japan.”

“I might have to go back to Korea,” Taeyong said.

Johnny shrugged and tried not to sigh. He looked away, gazing around their small, messy kitchen as Yuta grabbed more pizza and Taeyong drank more beer. There were messy dishes everywhere and the only decoration they had in the kitchen was a Pizza Hut magnet stuck on the fridge. But this was home and after living for four years together, Taeyong and Yuta were more than Johnny’s best friends. They were his family.

Johnny didn’t like to think about losing people.

He knew Yuta and Taeyong were right. Johnny shouldn’t rush into a relationship just because he was really lonely and a bit freaked out about the future.

Especially after the last time.

But Johnny couldn’t help but believe that you could bring someone special in your life just from wanting it so much.

🍑

Jaehyun cracked an eye open when he heard a knock on his door. The door creaked open and he felt a woosh of cold air from the hallway. He smiled when Jungwoo hopped on his bed and wrapped his arms around Jaehyun’s neck. Jaehyun freed his arms from the trappings of his covers and hugged Jungwoo back. He pushed the covers back so Jungwoo could get under them too. Jungwoo snuggled up to him, warm except for his bare feet, which were ice cold.

“Jungwoo, put socks on.”

“You know I don’t like socks, hyung.”

Jaehyun huffed a sigh through his nose, mostly joking, and closed his eyes again in relief. Jungwoo was finally home and he could relax. Jungwoo rested his head on Jaehyun’s chest and draped an arm across him. Jaehyun breathed in Jungwoo’s hair, which smelled like a terrible combination of way too much cheap men’s cologne and Axe Body Spray.

“Why do you smell like that?” Jaehyun asked, wrinkling his nose.

“I took a shower at his place,” Jungwoo said with a yawn. “That’s his body wash.”

“You hooked up with someone who smells like that?”

“He didn’t smell so strongly while he was sweating…”

Jaehyun gave a silent gag. He loved his cousin, but Jungwoo really had questionable taste.

“You didn’t text me. You said you would.”

“Sorry, hyung,” Jungwoo said. “I got… you know, busy.”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes to himself, mostly in his mind because his eyes were closed.

“You should always check in. I was worried. Then I couldn’t sleep.”

“I know. I’m sorry!” Jungwoo gave him a squeeze. “That’s why I left early, and I made sure to see you as soon as I got home. I’m fine.”

“Did you have fun?”

Jungwoo hummed. “It was okay. He was sort of small.”

Jaehyun groaned. “I don’t need details,” he said, while Jungwoo giggled.

“That’s like the most important detail.” Jungwoo lifted his arm lazily and sniffed himself. “You’re right. I should wash this off. It smells disgusting.”

Jaehyun nodded, encouragingly. “You know what else you should do?”

He opened his eyes just in time to see his cousin making a face. Jungwoo caught his eye. “I know what you’re going to say, hyung.”

“Why do you hook up with guys you don’t even like and who smells bad?”

Jungwoo shrugged a bit. “Not everyone is as okay with being alone as you are. I was bored.”

“I’m home.”

“You’re studying. You don’t have time to pay attention to me.”

“I have some time,” Jaehyun said, fighting off a yawn.

“It’s just been too long for you,” Jungwoo said. “You don’t remember. Once you get back to having sex, you’ll remember what it’s like to be horny and crave attention.”

“Jungwoo!” Jaehyun chided, staring at his cousin with wide eyes.

Jungwoo pouted, still clinging to him. “I know you haven’t since we moved to America. You’ve barely even looked at a guy. That’s why I’m so excited for you today!”

Jaehyun groaned as Jungwoo moved to sit on top of him, straddling his waist. Jaehyun looked at him and sighed, helplessly. Maybe Jaehyun hadn’t looked at a guy, but he had his reasons.

“You promised, you promised!” Jungwoo said, shaking Jaehyun’s shoulders. Jaehyun chuckled a little, being tossed around.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jaehyun said. “One date.”

“I picked you out the perfect guy!” Jungwoo said. “He responded to my message on Tinder in two seconds. That means he’s serious.”

Jaehyun chuckled a little to himself He was pretty sure that’s not what that meant.

“Whatever,” Jaehyun said. “But yes, I’m going to go.”

“You need to get out there, hyung! If you let it go too long, you’ll get all dried up and become a virgin again.”

Jaehyun sat up, pushing Jungwoo off him. Jungwoo fell over on his side, laughing. Jaehyun whacked the side of his butt.

“Ow!” Jungwoo yelped. “I know said he was small, but we got up to a lot last night.”

“Jungwoo!” Jaehyun pulled his hand away, making a horrified face. Jungwoo giggled.

“Ten AM coffee date is perfect for you because there’s no pressure,” Jungwoo said as Jaehyun slowly eased his way out of bed. It was time for him to get ready anyway. “Then you can see him later and… you know.” Jungwoo winked from where he was lying on his side. Jaehyun came over and pretended to smother him with a pillow while his cousin squealed.

“I’m only doing this because you’re twisting my arm,” Jaehyun reminded him. “Then I’m going to the library to study.”

“All study and no sex makes Jaehyun a dull boy,” Jungwoo said from under the pillow. Jaehyun pulled it away from his face and Jungwoo grinned. Jaehyun wanted to smother him again. “You need to have fun, hyung! Johnny is tall!”

“Yeah, because that’s the most important quality in a guy.” Jaehyun grabbed his bathrobe, walking out of the room.

“It is for me!” Jungwoo called after him.

Jaehyun shut the bathroom door behind him and took a deep breath in the bathroom. The truth was, everything Jungwoo said was right. He hadn’t been on a date or had sex since he moved to America. It seemed pointless. But Jungwoo was wrong about one part. Jaehyun did get horny and he did crave attention. He just knew how to control it.

Jaehyun didn’t plan to date in America at all. He only planned to be there for about 4 years to finish university and get his MBA. Then it would be back to Korea to start his real life.

He remembered what his father told him before he left.

He wasn’t going to do that.

Jaehyun wanted to stay focused. But Jungwoo had been bothering him about this for weeks. Finally, they made a deal. If Jaehyun went on one date of Jungwoo’s choosing, Jungwoo would stay home once a week. Jaehyun was getting seriously worried with Jungwoo staying at some strange guy’s house nearly every night. It was the only reason he agreed. One meaningless date and then he and Jungwoo could spend some more time together. Maybe Jaehyun could get him to slow down.

One coffee date. That’s all he had to do.

Jaehyun was nervous.

Jaehyun had barely looked at the Tinder date’s profile. He put Jungwoo in charge of everything. Jungwoo made his Tinder account and did all the texting and arrangements. It didn’t matter who Jungwoo chose as long as it kept him occupied.

One date. One hour. He’d get it over with, get Jungwoo off his back about dating and have Jungwoo home more. That was the whole point of bringing Jungwoo to America with him. He’d vowed to keep an eye on his younger cousin. Jungwoo didn’t really have anyone else.

The date was worth it for that reason.

And maybe Jaehyun was a little lonely.

He didn’t dare admit it.

🐻

Johnny looked up from staring in his dresser mirror when he heard a knock on the inside of his open door. His hands were still raking through his hair carefully as he looked over.

“Hey, Yuta,” Johnny said. “Didn’t think you’d be up this early.”

“Didn’t think I would be either.” Yuta gave him a small smile and leaned against the doorframe.

“What’s up?” Johnny glanced back in the mirror. His hair wasn’t cooperating. It was getting to an in-between length where he wasn’t sure what to do with it. He should probably get a haircut soon.

“Wanted to see how you were doing,” Yuta said.

“I’m fine. About to leave soon.”

“Yeah.” Yuta took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry if I came off as a jerk last night. I didn’t mean to.”

Johnny glanced over at him, honestly surprised. Yuta shrugged.

“I just want the best for you. Don’t want you to get hurt,” Yuta said. “I’m still pissed off at what that guy did to you. Maybe you’re over it, but I’m not.”

Johnny laughed a little. It wasn’t exactly funny. He was surprised. “Really?” He said, raising his eyebrows at his friend.

“Well, yeah. Look, I hate cheaters. You know that. And the disease was the icing on the cake.” Yuta crossed his arms and shook his head. “I just hate it when people take advantage of you, Johnny.”

Johnny dropped his hands, turning to face Yuta completely. “People don’t take advantage of me,” he said.

Yuta took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, no but… what I mean is that you’re a really great guy.” Yuta took a step in the room, looking at Johnny earnestly. “You wear your heart on your sleeve and you give people the benefit of the doubt. I hate when people take advantage of that. That guy totally did that. You gave him your trust, even when he didn’t deserve it. Even after I saw him checking out other people at the club and I should have told you then but I didn’t.” Yuta paused for a moment. 

“Don’t blame yourself, Yuta,” Johnny said. “It just happened. It’s his fault.”

“I can sniff out a jerk way faster than you,” Yuta said. “And I should use that skill for you more often. Can I come on your dates, too?”

Johnny laughed a little.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt again,” Yuta said, seriously.

Johnny softened, smiling at his friend. Yuta got up early just to tell him this? It was actually really sweet.

“I’ll try not to get hurt,” Johnny said. “It happens, sometimes. I know that. I’m willing to take the risk.”

Yuta cracked a small smile. “That’s what I love about you, John. You’re one of the bravest people I know.”

Johnny smiled wider. “You’re one of the best people I know.”

Yuta spread his arms wide. “I’m just here to make sure you take care of yourself. You tell whatever loser that you decide to date that if anything bad happens to you… I’m kicking their ass from here back to where they came from. That’s a promise.”

Yuta looked so serious that Johnny had to laugh. He wrapped his arms around his friend and gave him a big squeeze. They hugged each other tightly for a long moment before Johnny tickled Yuta’s stomach and he nearly spasmed to the floor.

They both laughed hard.

“Have fun today,” Yuta said, after they managed to final calm themselves down. Johnny would have to do his hair again. “Keep me updated.”

Johnny hopped in his car a little while later. He was going to be just on time to meet his first date, Jung Jaehyun. He’d named himself last name, first name on Tinder, which made Johnny smile. Johnny knew that Jaehyun moved to America from Korea about six months ago, so it made sense. He’d transferred to the same University that Johnny went to.

Jaehyun seemed nice enough over text, but he made a lot of sexual innuendos. His first question to Johnny was “what’s your favorite position?” with “position” spelled with a “z” somehow. Johnny didn’t mind but if they got that far, he’d have to let Jaehyun know he wasn’t looking for a hook up right now.

Truthfully, Johnny didn’t really vibe with their text conversation. It was stupid. But Jaehyun was extremely attractive in his photos and didn’t balk at the suggestion to meet at ten am on a Saturday for coffee. That alone made him worthy of one date.

“Here goes nothing,” Johnny murmured to himself once he parked outside of the café.

It was time for a Saturday full of dates.

Johnny walked in, breathing in the familiar smells of the café. This was his favorite coffee place, which he just realized might be a bad idea if this date turned out to be a disaster. His favorite place could be ruined. But it was too late for second thoughts now. Johnny recognized Jaehyun right away. He was standing underneath the menu board, staring up at it. He was dressed casually in a hoodie and jeans. Johnny looked down at himself. Since his dates went from day to night, he was wearing a tucked in black t-shirt, dark wash jeans and a leather jacket. He hoped he wasn’t too dressed up.

He took a deep breath and walked up to Jaehyun, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Hey,” he said as casually as he could.

Jaehyun turned, his eyes flashing in surprise for a moment, but they settled quickly. Johnny breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hi…” Jaehyun said. He had a deep voice that took Johnny aback.

He was even more gorgeous in person.

“Johnny, right?” Jaehyun stuck out his hand with a friendly smile. Johnny shook it after a moment.

“Yeah… nice to meet you, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun nodded and looked back at the menu.

“Order whatever you’d like,” Johnny said, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt. “I’ll buy.”

Jaehyun shook his head. “No, that’s okay. I’ll pay for it.”

Johnny didn’t say anything. What was he supposed to do? Johnny was a firm believer of whoever asked for the date should pay (especially if he asked) but he guessed Jaehyun was more of the Dutch type. Johnny wanted to argue but he stopped himself. There were two cashiers open, so Johnny let Jaehyun go first and then he stepped up to the other one.

“I’ll have—” Johnny said.

“Iced Americano,” Jaehyun said at the same time he did.

Johnny looked over at him and Jaehyun met his eyes. Surprisingly, Jaehyun laughed. Johnny lost his breath for a moment, hearing the sound.

“What size?” The cashier asked Jaehyun, sounding bored like he saw awkward first dates all the time.

“Large,” Jaehyun said.

“Me too,” Johnny said, sliding over to stand next to Jaehyun, abandoning his own cashier and motioning for the person behind him to step up. He spoke to Jaehyun’s cashier. “I’ll get a large iced americano, too. And one of those brownies.” He pointed quickly at the pastry counter before holding up his phone. “I’m paying for it.” He gave Jaehyun a smile. “I mean… we’re getting the same thing.”

Jaehyun moved over to let Johnny access the card reader, holding up one hand slightly in surrender. Johnny tapped his phone and heard the Apple Pay beep. The cashier said that he would bring it out to their table.

“I thought I was the only one who drank iced drinks when it’s cold outside,” Johnny joked, leading Jaehyun through the café. Luckily, his favorite table was open, and he hurried over to sit down. It was right next to the fireplace, so it was nice and cozy. He pulled Jaehyun’s chair out for him but Jaehyun took the other one. Johnny sat down quickly and hoped Jaehyun didn’t notice.

“I prefer my Americanos iced,” Jaehyun said.

“Me too,” Johnny said, stupidly. He had just said that, obviously.

“It's not too cold here.”

“Not yet,” Johnny said. “It’s just November. It’s Michigan. It’s gonna get cold.”

“Yes, but in Korea it would be much colder by now,” Jaehyun said. “I’m used to it.”

“Oh yeah? I’ve never been there.”

“You’ve never been to Korea? Even though you’re Korean?”

Johnny shook his head. “Never.”

“Do you have any family there? Do you speak Korean?”

“Some family,” Johnny said. “But they visit us here. I speak enough Korean to talk to my grandparents. It’s not great. I’m not fluent or anything.”

“Do you want to go?” Jaehyun asked, in that soft, deep voice of his. Johnny smiled at how Jaehyun was looking at him so intensely. It felt like he really cared about what Johnny had to say. That wasn’t the impression Johnny got through their Tinder messages with multiple eggplant emojis and smiling winky faces.

“Of course,” Johnny said. “If I ever got the chance, I’d be there in a heartbeat.”

“You should go soon,” Jaehyun said, and his voice sounded a little bit wistful. “You would love it.”

Johnny swallowed hard, realizing that Jaehyun had dimples that showed especially when he smiled.

He really was beautiful.

A waiter came by with their iced Americanos and the brownie that Johnny had ordered on a plate with two forks. Johnny pulled the paper tip off his straw as Jaehyun immediately fished out an ice cube and popped it in his mouth, crunching down.

Johnny paused to laugh a little at how cute that was.

Jaehyun smiled at him, not at all self-consciously, devastating him with those dimples.

Johnny had to tell his heart to slow down.

Whoa, he thought. This was exactly what Yuta warned him about. Johnny reminded himself that this was date number 1 of 5 at ten in the morning.

Slow your roll, Johnny Suh.

“Oh wow,” Jaehyun said after he took his first sip, blinking rapidly. “This is strong.”

“Yeah, they make them strong here,” Johnny said, a bit concerned. “Is it okay? I can ask for some milk or something.”

Jaehyun waved a hand. “No. I really like it. This is so much better than what I’ve been getting at Starbucks. Reminds me of Korea.”

Johnny leaned back in his seat, feeling relieved and impressed at the same time. Taeyong wouldn’t drink any coffee unless it was from Starbucks, loaded down with milk and sugar and preferably a Frappuccino with no coffee.

“If you really like coffee, you need to come here,” Johnny said, nodding a little. “Their Americanos are great. Everything is. They have coffee tastings once a month on Sundays. Small batches from all over the world. I always go. I come here and buy the beans for my French Press. It’s pretty cool and you get to support small businesses, too.”

“Not like Starbucks,” Jaehyun said, flashing another smile. Johnny’s heart clenched. Those dimples really were a problem. And Jaehyun’s lips… Johnny watched him suck from the straw. He hoped it wasn’t too obvious.

“Do you really like coffee?” Johnny asked.

Jaehyun nodded. “I think so. You know, cafes are very popular in Korea. All over the place. I drank a lot of coffee. But I don’t think I know a lot about it. Going to that coffee tasting sounds good. If you get to learn about coffees from all the world.”

“We should go together sometime.” It just slipped out. Real smooth, Johnny, he thought. They’d only been on the date for about 20 minutes. He heard Yuta’s voice in his head, warning him not to make the same mistakes again.

“That would be nice.” Jaehyun smiled again. Johnny guessed he was only being polite.

“So, how long have you been here?” Johnny blurted out, figuring he should change the subject before he embarrassed himself more. Then he remembered that he’d already asked Jaehyun this over text, but Jaehyun didn’t seem to remember.

“Six months… we moved the summer before fall semester started.”

“We?” Johnny asked, curiously.

“My younger cousin,” Jaehyun said. “He’s one year younger than me and he goes to our school, too. We live together. In fact, he arranged for me to go on this date.”

“Oh.” Johnny took a long swallow of his drink. What did that mean? Did Jaehyun not even want to be here? Was Johnny already making a fool out of himself for nothing? Johnny felt his cheeks heating up slightly.

“Yeah. He said I should put myself out there. I don’t know.”

“I haven’t been on a date in a year,” Johnny said. “Not since my ex-boyfriend gave me gonorrhea.”

Shit. He totally didn’t mean to say that.

Johnny froze. _This_ was why he was going to remain single for all his future birthdays.

He couldn’t even look at Jaehyun after that. Johnny busied himself with his drink, stirring it around for no reason.

“Oh no,” Jaehyun said. “Are you okay?”

Johnny wanted to melt into the floor. He wanted to disappear. Was it too early to leave for Date #2? He’d have time to change his clothes, name and identity on the way. Johnny laughed, nervously.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Johnny muttered, still staring at his drink. He couldn’t bear to look at Jaehyun. The dimples were probably gone, replaced with a very judge-y and disgusted look.

“Did it hurt?” Jaehyun asked.

Johnny clenched his jaw. “No. I was asymptomatic. He told me about the cheating because he had it… and then I got tested.”

Johnny jumped a little when he felt Jaehyun lay his hand over his free hand on the table. Johnny looked up. Jaehyun was staring at him, his eyes full of concern.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Jaehyun said. “That must have been scary. And very painful. To have someone you trusted cheat on you like that.”

Johnny couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Jaehyun looked like he was genuinely worried about him.

“Are you okay, now?” Jaehyun asked.

Johnny nodded quickly. “I’m totally cured. You take antibiotics. It clears up in like a week. I’m clean, I promise.”

“I mean…” Jaehyun said. “Like… emotionally. I’d be devastated.”

Johnny swallowed hard. He hadn’t been expecting this. But staring at Jaehyun, he realized the truth.

He was totally over that guy.

“It’s in the past,” Johnny said. “I’m ready to move on.”

Jaehyun wrapped his hand around Johnny’s gently and gave it a squeeze.

Johnny’s heart kicked into overdrive.

Oh yeah, he was in trouble.

🍑

Telling someone about a past STD on the first date wouldn’t have been Jaehyun’s choice.

It reminded Jaehyun to talk to Jungwoo about this. Johnny got it from a boyfriend. Jungwoo was sleeping with a different guy almost every night. He should be getting tested regularly.

But there was something endearing about Johnny.

Jaehyun couldn’t put his finger on it about what exactly attracted him to Johnny. One thing was clear. Johnny had beautiful eyes. Jaehyun had never seen eyes quite like Johnny’s before. They were round but cat-like and his irises were a gorgeous golden-brown, same as the fall leaves on the trees outside.

Jaehyun really liked looking into Johnny’s eyes.

Johnny also had a pouty mouth and model cheekbones. He was much more attractive than his Tinder pics or maybe Jaehyun hadn’t really looked. If he had known Johnny was going to look like this, he would have been more excited about the date. Maybe even worn something better the comfortable hoodie he got the first time he went to Walmart. Johnny looked great in a leather jacket that hung off his broad shoulders just right.

But more than that, Jaehyun liked Johnny’s vulnerability. He seemed like a guy who really told you what was on his mind. Who didn’t play games.

Jaehyun liked honest people.

He liked the way it felt holding Johnny’s hand.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way.

Jaehyun didn’t know if it was dangerous or not.

“Where do your parents live, Johnny?” Jaehyun asked. He’d noticed Johnny’s pink cheeks and figured they should change the subject.

Johnny was even cuter when he blushed.

“Chicago,” Johnny said. “It’s about four hours away from here.”

“Oh, I want to go to Chicago!” Jaehyun said, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “I want to go there more than New York City. My cousin and I are going to New York for winter break.”

“Really? Why?” Johnny said. “I mean, duh, New York. I mean, why do you want to go to Chicago?”

Now Jaehyun felt his own cheeks heating up as Johnny smiled at him. “I’ve always thought about Chicago. My dad went there on a business trip when I was young. He brought me back a snow globe from Chicago.” Jaehyun shook his hands a little like he had the snow globe in his hands. “The Sears Tower and Millennium Park and the Chicago River. It’s so pretty. I just always imagined going there. In the snow.”

Jaehyun smiled, sheepishly. Too cheesy?

But Johnny was beaming at him.

“It’s beautiful,” Johnny said. “You totally have to go to Chicago. In the winter. It’s wonderful. I love it.”

“You should go to Korea,” Jaehyun said. “Seoul in the winter… it’s wonderful, too.”

They smiled at each other.

Jaehyun felt this knocking in his chest. He took a big slurp of his Americano and crunched on some ice.

“You can share this with me,” Johnny said, gesturing at the brownie. Jaehyun watched Johnny take a bite and lick his lips. He felt this jolt in the bottom of his stomach that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Jaehyun shook his head a little and told him to snap out of it. He was being like Jungwoo or something.

“Thanks for paying for my drink,” Jaehyun said. “That was really nice of you.”

“I asked you out,” Johnny said, with a shrug. “It’s what a gentleman does.”

Jaehyun laughed a little, looking down at the table. If that was the case, then he didn’t think he’d ever been on a date with a real gentleman. Of course, his dates in Korea with men weren’t really dates. More like pregaming before the hook up in a love hotel and then going home.

Jaehyun grabbed the second fork and took a bite of the brownie. It was delicious. For some reason, Jaehyun wasn’t surprised. He could tell that Johnny had good taste.

“What’s your major?” Johnny asked him.

“Business.”

“Oh!” Johnny looked surprised. “Me too. I haven’t seen you at the B-School. What year are you?”

“Third year,” Jaehyun said.

“I’m fourth. This is my last year. Next year will be my last semester.”

“What are you going to do after you graduate?”

Johnny gave a short laugh that made Jaehyun smile, curiously.

“Don’t ask,” Johnny said. “I… don’t know.” He paused for a moment and then caught Jaehyun’s eye. Jaehyun felt his heart stop for a moment. “You know… okay, this is dumb.”

“What?” Jaehyun blinked as Johnny cut himself off. “What’s dumb?”

Johnny smiled, sheepishly. “I was just going to say. Well, I have a minor, you know. My… passion.” Johnny laughed a little, rolling his eyes. “That sounds dumb.”

“What’s that?” Jaehyun asked, genuinely curious. He didn’t talk to many people who claimed to have a passion. Jaehyun certainly didn’t.

“It’s photography. I take pictures. So…” Johnny pressed a hand to the side of his face and chuckled again. “I don’t even know where I was going with this.”

“Can I see your pictures?” Jaehyun asked, eagerly. He could tell Johnny was good at photography. It was in the way Johnny spoke about it and in the way Johnny looked at him. He looked at Jaehyun like he was truly taking him in, like he was a person that paid attention to the details.

Johnny moved his hand to cover over his eyes, wincing. “Sometimes I post them on my Instagram. But other than that, I don’t really show anyone. I don’t even know why I mentioned it.”

“Photography is important to you,” Jaehyun said. He wished he could pull Johnny’s hand away from his face and hold it again. It was a crazy thought.

“Yeah,” Johnny said, peeking at Jaehyun between his fingers. Then he laughed and put his hand down. “I don’t think I’m very good. I enjoy it but… you know, as a career, it’s not practical.”

“Sure, it is,” Jaehyun said. “People do it.”

“You have to be _really_ good and I’m just… mediocre.” Johnny’s cheeks were flushed again. Jaehyun wondered if Johnny was always this cute. He probably was. And sexy, too.

Jaehyun wasn’t sure if he should allow himself to have these thoughts.

He decided to focus on the photography thing.

“I’m sure you’re not as mediocre as you think,” Jaehyun said. “You’re probably your toughest critic.”

Johnny bit his lower lip, somehow still showing that bright smile. This did not help Jaehyun’s quest to not think about how sexy Johnny might be. But besides that, Jaehyun really did want to know more about Johnny. He didn’t expect to go on this date and actually want to hang out with them. What a strange feeling.

Jaehyun took another bite of the brownie.

“Actually, I—” Johnny said, but then his watch started beeping. “Sorry.”

Jaehyun watched Johnny hastily press buttons on the side of his watch to shut it up.

“Sorry,” Johnny said again. Jaehyun waited for Johnny to finish his last sentence.

He felt like they both had something else to say but for some reason they weren’t saying it. Jaehyun wanted to tell Johnny he really wanted to see his pictures. He wanted to tell Johnny that he liked holding his hand. He wanted to say something that would let Johnny know that he was really enjoying the date.

“Johnny—” Jaehyun started.

“Sorry,” Johnny said, interrupting him. “Sorry.” He stood up. Jaehyun blinked, looking up at Johnny, surprised.

“I just… I have another appointment,” Johnny said, looking apologetic. “If I don’t go now, I’ll be late.”

“Okay…” Jaehyun felt a bit lost as he stood up, too. Their date was over? Just like that? Jaehyun still had so much he wanted to say. And that was unusual for him.

“I had… yeah. I mean… it was really great meeting you, Jaehyun. Thanks for talking with me.”

Jaehyun nodded. Wow, he guessed that was really it.

“Thanks for the coffee, Johnny,” Jaehyun said, softly.

“Good luck with… you know… everything.” Johnny left a five-dollar tip on the table, gave Jaehyun an awkward half-bow, half wave and then he was heading for the door.

Jaehyun stood there.

He was really out of practice on dates. He thought things were going well but then Johnny just left. He didn’t even indicate that he wanted to see Jaehyun again.

Good luck with everything?

What did that mean?

Johnny probably thought Jaehyun was totally boring. Jaehyun rubbed his arm with a sigh.

He wished he didn’t remember how good it felt to hold someone’s hand.

Johnny’s hand.

Jaehyun rolled his eyes at himself and grabbed his drink. He was crazy. He met Johnny for 90 minutes and now he was going to mope around because Johnny bailed on the date? Jaehyun shook his head.

This just showed Jaehyun that he was right.

It was better to keep his head down and keep studying. He could leave the dating to Jungwoo.

Jaehyun was just fine on his own.

🐻

Johnny’s next date was lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant. He enjoyed his shawarma.

The company? Not so much.

Johnny’s third date was at this half-bar, half-café place on the far side of town that Johnny had never been too. It was actually a cool place, with a heated, screened in porch area so they could take in all the beautiful fall scenery around without being cold. Johnny stared at the table topper as his date droned on and on. At least Johnny had a great view of the red, yellow, and gold fall leaves. They were sitting out on the porch during golden hour. Johnny would have taken some pictures if he didn’t think it would be rude.

“If you really want to make some dough in cryptocurrency,” Johnny's date said. “You have to start with the right provider. I mean, that’s just common sense.”

Johnny nodded. He had no idea what this guy was talking about.

Johnny hadn’t been able to concentrate all day.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Jaehyun.

Johnny’s phone buzzed. Johnny jumped up, holding his phone in the air.

“I gotta take this,” Johnny said. He hustled inside the main part of the café, heading to the bathroom. He locked himself in a stall and checked his texts.

 **Yuta** : How are the dates going?

Johnny called him, leaning up the side of the stall.

“What’s up?” Yuta asked, answering the phone. “You okay?”

“Yuta,” Johnny said, letting his breath out in a rush. “I think I screwed up.”

“Whoa,” Yuta said. “Everything okay, Johnny?”

Johnny stared up at the top of the stall. The ceiling was made of exposed brick and cement old pipes. Another cool shot.

“I’m not doing well on these dates,” Johnny said.

“What do you mean ‘not doing well’?” Yuta sounded tense. “Do I need to come down there and kick some ass, Johnny? I’m serious.”

“No,” Johnny said, quickly. “I mean…” he sighed again. “I’m not having… my other two dates I…” He blurted out the next part in a rush. “Yuta, I really liked the first guy, but I think I screwed it up.”

“Huh?” Yuta said. “Johnny, explain.”

Johnny sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “He’s so… Yuta, he’s so fucking hot! And—and... he’s sweet. He’s… I told him about the… you know?”

“What?”

“My disease.”

“Seriously, Johnny? Okay…” He heard Yuta laughing in disbelief.

“Yuta! He was… really understanding. He—he took my hand.”

“Okay. So, you’re infatuated with this guy because you got to hand third base with him while talking about your STD?”

This time Johnny was laughing. He knew it was ridiculous but….

“Looking into his eyes… I didn’t want to look away. I know it’s crazy, Yuta, but—”

“It’s not crazy, Johnny. This is your pattern.” 

“No, it’s not,” Johnny insisted. “It’s not like… the other times. Yuta, I just felt… I felt like we were really connecting. But then my stupid alarm went off and I had to leave for the next date and… I didn’t know what to do. I panicked. I… I don’t even know but I just left. I think I made it weird.”

“Ask him out again.”

The way Yuta said it sounded so simple. Johnny leaned his head back, letting it hit the side wall of the stall.

“I have two more dates tonight,” Johnny said, feeling miserable.

“Cancel the dates and ask him out again.”

Johnny held the phone, not sure he heard Yuta right. “What?”

“Ask him out again tonight.”

Johnny snorted in disbelief. This advice was coming from Yuta?

“Really?” Johnny said.

“Say that you’re sorry you left so abruptly, and you’d like to finish the date. Ask him to see you again tonight.”

“What about moving too fast?”

“I don’t know, Johnny. I do think you move too fast. But on the other hand, when you know, you know.”

Johnny laughed a little, not sure what to say.

“Ask him out again. Just go for it. Okay, you like this guy. Let him know. After that you can take it slow. I know you, Johnny. If you already feel this way, you won’t be able to get this guy out of your head. So, do yourself a favor and explore this. Explore. Don’t make any promises. But get to know him. That’s what you can do differently this time. I want you to be happy.”

Johnny bit his lower lip, feeling a little bit like he wanted to cry. It felt so good to have Yuta on his side.

“Go for it, Johnny,” Yuta said. “You deserve someone who will take good care of your heart. Maybe this is the guy.”

“Thanks, Yuta,” Johnny said, in a shaky voice. They hung up and he took a deep breath.

There was only one thing his heart wanted.

He wanted to see Jaehyun again.

Johnny went back to the table and realized that his date had already left. And stuck him with the bill. Well, that made this part a little easier. Johnny ordered a second cup of coffee. Then he called his other two dates. He didn’t want to cancel over text. Neither of them sounded too upset. One seemed to still be asleep.

Johnny sipped his coffee after he finished his cancellations. That was the easy part.

Now it was time for the hard part.

Johnny sat at the table for a while, gathering his courage.

Then something caught his eye.

A flyer on the wall. There was a wine tasting at the café-bar that night. Wines from all over the world.

Johnny thought back to his conversation with Jaehyun when Jaehyun said he would consider going to a coffee tasting with him. Johnny had been stupid to bring it up that quickly but then again, Johnny had done stupider things.

A wine tasting would be cool. Maybe Jaehyun would want to do this with him, tonight.

This felt like a sign.

Johnny scrolled until he found Jaehyun’s number and pushed the green call button.

He had a plan now.

The worst thing that could happen was that Jaehyun would say no.

Then, maybe, Johnny wasn’t meant to find a relationship after all.

🍑

Jaehyun laid on the couch with Jungwoo draped over him. He smelled much better now that he’d showered at home with their regular shampoo and body wash. Jaehyun had meant to go to the library, but the truth was, after his date with Johnny, he didn’t feel like doing anything. Except for think about Johnny and that wasn’t going to work out. So Jaehyun went home and let Jungwoo talk him into an all-day-and-night movie marathon. Jungwoo loved movies. Jaehyun couldn’t remember the last time Jungwoo had stayed home on a Saturday night. The date with Johnny was worth it just for this.

Three movies in, Jungwoo was asleep, but Jaehyun kept one arm around wrapped around Jungwoo’s body. His cousin had always been clingy, but it had gotten even worse after Jungwoo’s mother died. Jaehyun indulged him, especially since he’d rather Jungwoo be clinging to him rather than some strange guy he picked up online. Jaehyun played with Jungwoo’s bangs, trying not to think so much but he couldn’t help it.

He wondered what he had done to ruin the date.

Jaehyun knew that he could be pretty boring. But he thought they were talking and vibing together. He thought Johnny felt comfortable with him. He felt comfortable with Johnny. That was a huge thing for Jaehyun. It didn’t come easily for him. He wasn’t the kind of person to think about someone like this. He wasn’t a dating person. Either he was hooking up or going about his own business. He didn’t see the appeal of relationships. It was just someone else that you had to keep up with in life.

But there was something about Johnny. His charming smile. Their slightly too honest conversation. Johnny’s golden-brown eyes.

Jaehyun wanted to see him again.

He didn’t know what to think about that.

His phone rang.

Jaehyun picked it up lazily but when he looked at the notification, his eyes flew open.

Hottie Johnny.

Jaehyun snorted to himself. Jungwoo had put Johnny’s number in his phone. Of course, he’d label Johnny something like that. The surprising part was that Johnny was calling him just as Jaehyun was wishing he’d call.

What did that mean? What was that called?

Was it fate?

Jaehyun didn’t believe in fate. He’d… probably forgotten his wallet or something and was looking for it. Why was Johnny calling? Why didn’t he text him?

Jaehyun’s heart started racing.

He answered the phone.

“Hello?” Jaehyun said, hesitantly.

“Hi,” Johnny said. Jaehyun recognized his voice right away. It had been playing through his mind all day. “It’s uh… this is Johnny. Your date… from the morning.”

“I know,” Jaehyun said. He fought to keep his voice calm.

“Oh good.” Johnny chuckled a little on the other side. Jaehyun blinked a little in surprise. Then he smiled to himself. He knew what that little chuckle meant.

Johnny was nervous.

Jaehyun sat up slowly, letting Jungwoo fall back on the couch as he scooted towards the edge. Jungwoo moaned a little in his sleep.

“What’s up…?” Jaehyun asked.

There was silence for a moment.

“Sorry, this might be a little weird…” Johnny said. Then he didn’t say anything else. The silence stretched out between them. Jaehyun raised his eyebrows.

“Yes?” he prompted.

“I was thinking about what we were talking about this morning,” Johnny said. “You know, the coffee tasting?”

Jaehyun remembered immediately. He had replayed their entire conversation many times in the few hours since Johnny left the date. “Yeah…?” he said.

“Well—” Johnny cleared his throat. Then he seemed to start over. “Okay. I wanted to tell you. I had a really good time with you this morning. Like talking to you. I didn’t mean to leave so fast. I just got… okay, this is stupid. But I got this idea in my head that I wanted to find a boyfriend this weekend.” Johnny chuckled nervously again and Jaehyun found himself smiling. Johnny was cute. He could listen to Johnny talk all day. Johnny had a very pleasant voice. Soothing.

“I planned 5 dates all day, back-to-back. The reason I left so fast was because I needed to get to my next date. Then I had another date and now I’m at a wine bar—”

“You’re on a date with someone else?” Jaehyun interrupted. He couldn’t help it. He had no idea how they’d gotten into this conversation, but Jaehyun found it very amusing.

“Oh God, I sound like a jerk,” Johnny said. “I’m not on a date right now. I mean, I was but then I went to the bathroom and my date left. That doesn’t matter. I canceled my two other dates. But when I’m in a relationship, I’m very loyal—”

“I know,” Jaehyun interrupted with a smile. “I can tell, Johnny. I’m glad you called me.”

He could almost hear Johnny sigh with relief on the other end of the line. That made Jaehyun feel bold.

“I had a really nice time with you,” Jaehyun said.

“Me too,” Johnny said. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?” Jaehyun said.

“Do you like wine?” Johnny asked. It wasn’t the question Jaehyun was expecting but it made him smile.

“I love wine,” Jaehyun said, almost on autopilot. But his mind was spinning. What was Johnny getting at?

“There’s a wine tasting tonight at this bar. I’ve never been here before but it’s really cool. I thought it would be nice… are you free to meet up again tonight? Would you go to the wine tasting with me?”

Johnny asked his last question in a rush, seeming to finally be able to let it out.

“Another… date?” Jaehyun asked, trying to catch up.

“Yes. With you. I was hoping you’d be free tonight to see me. We could finish our first date…” Johnny trailed off and then laughed to himself. “Who am I kidding? I’m sure you’re busy—”

Jaehyun jumped when Jungwoo suddenly snatched the phone from him.

“Yes!” Jungwoo screamed, putting the phone on speaker. “He says yes! What time?”

“Hello?” Johnny’s voice sounded loud and confused on the other end.

“He’s totally going out with you again tonight!” Jungwoo yelled into the phone.

“Who is this?”

Jaehyun frowned, pushing Jungwoo back against the couch as he took the phone back. He took it off speaker and put it back to his ear.

“Sorry, that was my cousin, Jungwoo.”

“Who heard everything!” Jungwoo said in the background. “Jaehyun, he’s so sweet. _Go_! He really wants to see you again.”

Johnny was laughing. It was a really good sound. Jaehyun smiled.

“Tell him I say hi,” Johnny said.

“Okay,” Jaehyun said, softly.

“Okay… you told him I said hi?”

“I mean, okay, I’ll meet you tonight,” Jaehyun clarified. “I want to finish our date, too.”

“Can you meet me here at 8? I’ll text you the address.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you at 8, Johnny.”

They hung up. Jaehyun’s heart was racing. He felt like his face was all flushed, like he’d been running out in the cold.

Jungwoo squealed, climbing on top of Jaehyun and pinning him down.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “Johnny really likes you. He’s canceling all his other dates for you! What did you guys talk about?”

“How he got an STD from his ex-boyfriend,” Jaehyun said, seriously. “Speaking of which… are you getting tested, Jungwoo?” He stared at Jungwoo as Jungwoo laughed.

“Oh wow!” Jungwoo cackled. “This guy is crazy! He told you that?”

“It’s not funny. Are you?”

“I probably should…” Jungwoo made a face. Jaehyun glared. Jungwoo wrapped his arms around Jaehyun’s neck, pouting at him.

“If I go, will you go with me?”

“Of course,” Jaehyun said. “Let’s go next week.”

“Okay!” Jungwoo grinned and gave Jaehyun a hug. “I’m so happy for you! Aren’t I really good at picking out dates? Johnny sounds so cool. I could tell over the phone. He really likes you! He sounds so nice. He really dropped everything for you. I’ve never had anyone do that for me before. I think it’s so sweet. I like Johnny!”

Jaehyun laughed a little and rolled his eyes at Jungwoo’s babbling, as he hugged his cousin back. But he couldn’t stop smiling.

He liked Johnny, too.

🐻

Johnny stood up when Jaehyun got to the café-bar a couple of hours later and joined him on the heated porch. Jaehyun was wearing a nicely fitting sweater and even nicer fitted jeans. Jaehyun had really nice thighs. His face was just as stunning as Johnny remembered. He wanted to grab Jaehyun and kiss him. But he restrained himself.

They had time.

Johnny wanted to explore this with Jaehyun. This time, he was going to take it slow.

“Hi, Johnny,” Jaehyun said, with that stunning smile and sexy, deep voice.

Johnny nearly melted right there.

Instead, he got up and gave Jaehyun a tight hug.

It was the best hug in the world.

Jaehyun was the perfect fit in his arms. Johnny was used to dating guys much shorter than him, but Jaehyun was closer to his own height and Johnny found he liked that better. Jaehyun was strong and solid in Johnny’s arms and he hugged Johnny back just as tightly. All Johnny had to do was tip his head down just a little to meet Jaehyun’s lips. He could feel Jaehyun’s breath right there. No one would have to get on their tiptoes.

But that would come later.

“I’m glad you came,” Johnny murmured, breathing Jaehyun in. He smelled clean, a bit woodsy, a bit floral.

“Of course,” Jaehyun said, pulling away with a smile. “I wanted to see you again, too.”

Johnny’s heart started beating faster as he smiled. He didn’t think he was going to stop smiling all night.

This time, Johnny made sure that Jaehyun saw him pull out his chair for him. Jaehyun sat down. They smiled at each other and Johnny’s heart beat even faster.

They each got a wine flight with the same 8 wines to taste, four red and four white. Jaehyun liked the first red but Johnny really liked the last white they tried. Johnny took a peek at the price tag for a bottle. It was 100 dollars. He would have to be happy with the sample.

They sipped wine and talked. And talked.

The wine was gone after about an hour. But they were still talking.

Johnny talked more about his photography and showed Jaehyun some pictures on his phone that he’d taken of the trees beyond the parking lot of the wine bar just before he lost all the wonderful lighting created by the slowly setting sun. Jaehyun said the pictures were beautiful. Johnny almost believed him.

Jaehyun told Johnny about his family. Jaehyun described them as “well-off” and said they had a big family business in Korea. Despite being a business major, Johnny didn’t understand anything about Jaehyun’s family business except Jaehyun was expected to take over it one day. That’s why he moved to America—to complete his education in preparation to take over as CEO. His father expected him to go to Harvard Business School. But Jaehyun wasn’t sure if he was interested in business. He said that he wanted to find a passion, like Johnny. The comment made Johnny smile.

Johnny learned about Jaehyun’s cousin, Jungwoo, who Jaehyun described as “the most important person in the world to him.” They’d always been close but after Jungwoo’s mother died a year ago, they’d been even closer. Jungwoo’s father could barely deal and was absolutely no support, so Jaehyun had begged his parents to send Jungwoo with him when he moved to America.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him,” Jaehyun said. “He’s my cousin but he’s more like… my best friend and my brother. I don’t have any siblings. Sometimes it feels like we’re the only ones looking out for each other.”

“I know what you mean,” Johnny said. “My two best friends, Taeyong and Yuta, they’re my brothers, too. We’re family. Yuta is from Japan and Taeyong is from Korea, like you. Ever since freshman year, we just clicked together. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.”

Jaehyun grinned at Johnny. That smile continued to take Johnny’s breath away.

“Family is so important to me,” Johnny continued. “I am close with my parents in Chicago. I love when I’m at home. But I love my college family. I’m so lucky to have them.”

“Family is important to me, too,” Jaehyun said.

They talked about their childhoods. They talked about past relationships. They talked about their hopes for the future. They liked so many of the same things. They liked the same music. They liked the same kinds of food.

They both loved their friends.

They both loved coffee and wine.

They were still talking when the waiter came up to their table and cleared his throat. He announced that the bar was closing.

Johnny checked his watch.

It was nearly 2am.

“Wow,” Jaehyun said. “I didn’t realize it was late.”

“Me neither,” Johnny said.

It felt like no time had passed at all. He could spend hours longer with Jaehyun. Easily.

Johnny settled the check and they walked out, the last two customers in the building.

Outside, the night was sharp with cold but clear. Johnny scanned the parking lot. It was dark. He wasn’t going to let Jaehyun walk to his car alone.

“Where did you park?” Johnny asked.

Jaehyun shook his head. “I took an Uber. I don’t have a car. I’ll call one—”

“No way,” Johnny said. “I’ll drive you home. Come on.”

He reached for Jaehyun’s hand. Jaehyun took it and slid his fingers between Johnny’s.

Johnny felt a shiver run down his spine.

Johnny cranked the heat up in his car. He was glad that he had just cleaned it. It was old but reliable. Johnny had it since he was 16 years old.

“Do you have a car in Korea?” Johnny asked.

“No. We have a driver so I never learned to drive. My dad wanted to set us up with a driver here, but I thought it would be too pretentious.”

Johnny stifled a laugh. He’d never known a rich person before. Jaehyun mentioned having a personal private driver like he was talking about the weather.

“I could teach you how to drive,” Johnny said. “I taught Taeyong actually. It’s kind of good to have a car in America.”

Johnny glanced over at Jaehyun and saw him smiling at him.

“I’d like that,” Jaehyun said.

They got to Jaehyun’s apartment building way too quickly. He parked out front.

Johnny didn’t want to night to end.

“I had a really nice time, Johnny…” Jaehyun murmured in that deep voice of his. He placed his hand on Johnny’s knee.

Johnny glanced down.

His heart was racing.

He remembered all of Jaehyun’s eggplant emoji texts.

Johnny wanted to go up to the apartment with Jaehyun so badly.

But he promised that this time he would take it slow. He wouldn’t allow himself to get swept away.

Even though Jaehyun was the perfect person to get lost in.

“Jaehyun,” Johnny said. He placed his hand over Jaehyun’s hand on his knee. Then he gently, carefully, pulled it away. He turned Jaehyun’s hand around so he could hold it. “There’s one more thing I want to talk to you about.”

“Yes, Johnny?” Jaehyun asked. God, Jaehyun had such a beautiful face, such a beautiful mouth. It was dark in the car, but Johnny could see it so clearly.

Johnny couldn’t help wincing a little. “It’s about… sex.”

He watched Jaehyun lift his eyebrows a little. “Oh? Go on, Johnny…”

Johnny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, like I said… it’s been a year since my last relationship and I haven’t really hooked up since then. But… uh… I promised myself… this time things would be different. I would like… to wait a while… before, you know.” Johnny shrugged a shoulder and made a face at how awkward and lame he was.

Johnny held his breath. He wouldn’t blame Jaehyun if he decided that he did not want to join Johnny for his whole voluntary celibacy thing.

“Tell me if I’m assuming things,” Johnny said, reacting to Jaehyun’s silence. “I’m moving too fast, aren’t I? I’m always moving too fast, even if I’m trying not to. You probably weren’t thinking about sex at all. Like you weren’t going to invite me up?”

Jaehyun chuckled a little and squeezed Johnny’s hand.

“What I’m trying to say is,” Johnny continued. “I really want to get to know you, Jaehyun. I really really want to know… _everything_ about you.” He turned to look at Jaehyun, closely. “I really like listening to you. I want us to focus on getting to know each other before sex. I want to try something different. I want things to be different this time.”

Jaehyun smiled back at him in the darkness. Johnny’s heart was racing so fast. They didn’t let go of each other’s hands. He’d never been so chaste with someone on a date since middle school and yet this hand holding was one of the most erotic things he’d ever done.

“I want to know everything about you, too, Johnny,” Jaehyun said softly.

“So… is that okay?” Johnny asked. “I… I know we were kind of… sexting before the date. But I didn’t know I would take it seriously.”

Jaehyun snorted, his eyes going wide in an expression Johnny hadn’t seen before. “What?” he sputtered out.

Johnny dropped Jaehyun’s hand. “What did I say…?”

“Sexting…?”

“Oh.” Maybe it was a word in English that Jaehyun didn’t know. “Sexy texting…?”

“What?” Jaehyun yelped again. Johnny blinked as he watched Jaehyun pull out his phone.

“You sent me all these eggplant emojis…” Johnny said.

“’What’s your favorite p-o-z-i-t-o-n’?” Jaehyun read out loud, reciting the weird spelling of position. He burst out laughing. “I’m so sorry! I let Jungwoo text you. I had no idea he was sending all this.”

Johnny’s mouth dropped open for a moment. And then he was laughing too. Jaehyun leaned against his shoulder as they laughed together.

“That’s right, you said Jungwoo set up the date,” Johnny said.

“This is his hobby.” Jaehyun groaned. “I’m gonna throttle him.”

The console was between them. Seatbelts were in the way. But Johnny wrapped his arms around Jaehyun anyway, the best he could.

“What do you think about what I said?” Johnny asked, softly.

“I think…” Jaehyun said, thoughtfully. “It’s what I want, too. In fact, I’m not even going to kiss you tonight.”

Johnny smiled as Jaehyun glanced up at him. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah… let’s take it slow.”

“But I want to _kiss_ you,” Johnny said.

“Then you’re just going to have to ask me out again.” Jaehyun closed his eyes and smiled serenely.

“Will you go out with me again, Jaehyun? Tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Johnny pressed his forehead against Jaehyun’s, closing his eyes as well. He could wait until tomorrow to kiss Jaehyun. Or maybe he wouldn’t kiss him then. Maybe they would wait a whole week and Johnny would see Jaehyun every day.

The only thing that mattered was that he was going to see Jaehyun again.

Johnny knew, deep in his heart, that this was something special.

He wasn’t going to screw it up.

Johnny rubbed his nose against Jaehyun’s. He heard Jaehyun suck in his breath. Johnny felt the same way. There was so much heat between them. Johnny wanted to let it smolder before they let it burn.

“Okay, Jung Jaehyun…” Johnny whispered in the small amount of space between them. They weren’t even doing anything, but the car windows were fogging up anyway. “You are worth the wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Johnny and Jaehyun! Happy JohnJae Week!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos appreciated. Find me here!
> 
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